Shortlist for 2017 AIBC Architectural Awards Announced

Each year, the Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC) honours the best completed work by our Province's architects. The awards are intended to recognize the role of AIBC member architects, associates and firms in the built environment, and to encourage public interest in B.C. architects and architecture. The 2017 shortlist, announced on April 25, includes the Audain Art Museum, Christ Church Cathedral, Congregation Beth Israel, the UBC Campus Energy Centre, the UBC Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre, and the controversial Trump International Hotel & Tower Vancouver.

The AIBC Media Release is as follows:

Vancouver, B.C. — The Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC) is pleased to announce a stellar line-up of finalists for the AIBC Architectural Awards, a program that shines a spotlight on architectural excellence. Submissions were considered in five categories: Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia Award in Architecture, Medal and Merit Levels; Innovation; Emerging Firm; and, Special Jury.

Winners will be announced on May 10 at the AIBC Architecture Awards Ceremony.

The Audain Art Museum is a 56,000 sq. ft. private museum located in Whistler, British Columbia. The deliberately restrained form and character of the building provides a quiet, minimal backdrop to the art within and the surrounding natural landscape.

Christ Church Cathedral Restoration and Renewal by Proscenium Architecture and Interiors, Inc.

The crowning feature of the current project is the addition of the highly-anticipated bell spire at the northeast corner of the Cathedral. The bell spire bridges the aesthetic gap between the Cathedral and its modern accessibility addition.

Phase 1 of this work was completed in joint venture with Iredale Group Architecture.

Since 1948, Congregation Beth Israel has been located on Oak Street in Vancouver. The existing synagogue was retained and re-purposed for social and educational activities, and to provide a buffer between Oak Street and the newly renovated house of worship.

The Friesen Wong House is situated on a rocky knoll, amid the treed and free-flowing topography of the Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park. The house takes a dual relationship to the rocky site: a cantilevered terrace is at one moment level with the existing rock and then, a few steps away, soaring above it.

Queensway Transit Exchange provides a prominent and important landmark for the City of Kelowna. An elegant, unique and unifying shape was desired as a ‘place-making’ opportunity for the City; a shape which would visually and physically provide shelter and community.

Sneakerbox by DCYT Architecture

Sneakerbox by DCYT Architecture Photographer credit: Jon Meade

Located inside Park Royal West Vancouver Shopping Centre, Sneakerbox is a 1,100 sq. ft. trendy sneakers retail store. Wood pallet in its raw form and geometry is the architect’s tool to relate the design of this unique interior to the ever-growing generation of high fashion but rules-defying sneaker followers.

T3 Minneapolis by Michael Green Architecture Inc., Architect of Record DLR Group

T3, which stands for ‘Timber, Technology, Transit,’ in Minneapolis, is the first and largest mass timber building constructed in the United States in over one hundred years. It is a game changer for the commercial building industry and a milestone for mass timber construction in the United States.

Located on the beachfront in Tsawwassen, B.C., this compact two-storey home blurs the boundary between its contemporary interior and the natural beachfront. The efficient and open plan is designed with a focus on ocean views, while affording protection from strong winds and providing considerable privacy within.

The University of British Columbia’s Campus Energy Centre (CEC) is a state-of-the-art hot water boiler facility that provides the heating requirements for the campus. The selective use of different panel types enlivens the building’s simple volume by the play of light across and through the shroud.

The Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre is more than just a building. Dedicated to UBC’s alumni, it’s a campus ‘home for life’ and offers the resources to support an ongoing and mutually beneficial relationship with the University.

1151 West Georgia Street, Trump International Hotel & Tower Vancouver, is conceived as a singular pure form rising from the ground plane to the roof in a graceful spiral, creating a powerful iconic form on the Vancouver skyline.

Winner of the Emerging Firm category will be announced at the awards ceremony.

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